


3 Below One Shots and Stuff

by avoiceisgraceandgreed



Category: 3Below (Cartoons), Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Capital G capital F, Date Night, Eli is just trying to put out fires, F/M, For real though Steve is super considerate and cares about his friends and Aja, Gen, He knows Eli really well, He's still kinda a punk tho, Inter-special relationships, It's a fun time, Krel and Aja are geniuses and are very good at what they do, No beta we die like dehydrated worms, Our Akiridion friends are a little confused about human things as usual, Protective Aja, Protective Krel, Protective Steve, Seamus and Krel are lads now, So are Claire and Jim, Steve is a good friend, There's basically no real timeline for any of these so just roll with it ig?, They're also very stressed, girls night, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 19:43:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avoiceisgraceandgreed/pseuds/avoiceisgraceandgreed
Summary: Like the title says. Mostly made up of requests and prompts. Warnings in the A/N before each chapter. If you want me to write something, drop it in the comments or talk to me @avoiceisgraceandgreed on Tumblr. Turns out talking with people about common interests is actually really fun. Happy reading





	1. Really, Really Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: [From @yellowmagicalgirl] Hi, I saw you were taking writing requests. Could you please write something in which Aja hangs out with Mary and Darci?
> 
> Title: Really, Really Wonderful
> 
> Summary: Darci and Mary invite Aja to their sleepover.
> 
> Characters: Aja Tarron, Darci Scott, Mary Wang, Krel Tarron, Zadra, Varvatos Vex
> 
> Relationships: Aja Tarron & Darci Scott & Mary Wang, Aja Tarron & Krel Tarron, Aja Tarron & Zadra & Varvatos Vex, Aja Tarron/Steve Palchuk (mentioned), Darci Scott/Toby Domzalski (mentioned), Jim Lake Jr./Clair Nuñez (mentioned)
> 
> Warnings: mentions of military coup, non-graphic description of physical illness
> 
> Word count: 3 647
> 
> Notes: Not really sure what happened with this one. Super fun prompt though!! Context: I have a headcanon that Aja and Krel learned English in about the space of a week (because they’re brilliant but you knew that already).

“Oh, Aja, come on! It’ll be fun!”

Aja looked between Darci and Mary, and then back at her brother. He shook his head minutely. Aja knew what that look meant. She and Krel were supposed to go hunting for parts tonight. Every day was another day that General Morando grew closer, another day Aja and Krel were away from their people, another day that their parents crept closer to death. 

Getting these parts together was necessary to fix the ship, and that was important above all. Aja knew that. She  _ knew  _ that.

But...if Aja was being honest, she really,  _ really  _ didn’t feel like doing that tonight. It was all they had been doing for the last _ month _ .

“You know, I think I could use a little bit of fun.”

The two girls cheered, while Krel dropped his head and banged it against his desk. Aja rolled her eyes, prepared for a lecture about “responsibility” and “dedication,” but the bell rung loud and Ms. Janeth walked into the classroom. Krel shot Aja an indignant look that read,  _ We will be having words later _ . Aja shrugged and turned towards the board. 

  
  
  


“This is a bad idea.” Zadra’s arms were crossed in front of her chest and she paced the living room. “I could perhaps be persuaded for a few hours, but overnight? It’s asking for trouble. Our disguises won’t last that long!”

“Of course they won’t. They last 12 hours. I’m supposed to be there at 6 for dinner. But I can employ the disguise at 5:30.”

Zadra eyed Aja, clearly displeased. “I do not understand your point. That gives you until 5:30 tomorrow morning, and it is my understanding that you will be expected to say until 10 at the earliest. Your disguise will be long worn off.”

Aja held her hands out placatingly. “Let me finish, Zadra. At these human slumber parties, the participants stay up late, until they are too tired to continue participation. Mary and Darci will be asleep like rocks! I can sneak out once they are sleep, stay at the house during the cool-down period, then reinitiate the disguise and be back at the house long before they wake up.”

Zadra stared. “Do you think that I am stupid? There is far too much that can go wrong with this plan, let alone how dangerous it is when we account for–”

“Zadra, I know,” Aja interrupted. “I’ve accounted for that. It’s a calculated risk. Consider this...part of maintaining my human cover. If I want to blend in, then I have to participate in local cultural practices. You know that.”

Anger glinted in the commander’s eye. “Yes, I do, and  _ you  _ know that local cultural practices refer to so much more than singular, insignificant events. Your cover will be perfectly maintained, even without attending this...slumber party.”

Aja clenched her jaw and glared up at Zadra. She didn’t want to play the Queen-In-Waiting card, but she would if she had to. “You do not trust me.”

Vex rolled his eyes. “We certainly do not trust you to be alone when your potential opponent could be an entire army.”

Zadra nodded, eyes narrowed. “Additionally, I don’t think I need to remind you that you are meant to be searching for materials with which to repair Mother. Your people are your priority as Queen.”

Aja’s breath caught in her throat, and her eyes flashed. She knew exactly what “Queen” implicated, and she did not like it one bit.

“Queen-In-Waiting,” Aja corrected severely. “My parents are still in stasis. They will be fine.” Remorse crossed over Zadra’s features, and her eyes softened.

Where Aja had previously been certain that Zadra would begin to yell, she now watched the woman turn away, waving dismissively at Aja.

“Fine. Go to your social event. I hope that you’ve calculated this risk correctly.”

Aja watched her go and muttered, “As do I, Zadra.”

Vex nodded at Aja. “You know what to do if there’s an emergency. Commander Zadra has not had the opportunity to witness how you deal with an emergency, but I believe that you can be trusted to act appropriately if a situation arises.”

Aja gave Vex a grateful smile.

“Go pack, my Royal.” 

“Thank you, Vex!” Without another word, Aja shot out of the living room.

  
  
  


Krel was stretched across her bed on his stomach, his hands grasping at his hair in an expression of stress. Aja’s school bag lay next to him as the girl hurriedly stuffed it full with a set of clothing and essentials.

“You’re seriously going to leave me alone? With Vex and Zadra?”

Aja winced. That really did sound terrible, particularly when considering that Vex and Zadra had yet to entirely resolve their conflict over Vex’s betrayal. A long night spent with them, in an almost certainly fruitless search to locate materials that would help them save their entire planet? Krel was probably screwed.

“You’ll be fine.” Aja glanced at the clock. 5:34. She should probably get going.

Krel shot his hands up in the air, clearly exasperated. “Gah! No, I won’t! And you know that! They’ll kill me, Aja!”

Aja sat next to Krel, shoes on her lap. She called for Mother to apply her human form. After a brief flash of light, she moved to pull on her sneakers. “Okay, maybe I do know that. But you’ll still be fine.”

Krel simply moaned into Aja’s covers.

With a soft laugh, Aja rested her hand over her brother’s hair. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll convince Vex to let us go to the science museum tomorrow night.”

That got Krel’s attention. He perked up and glanced over at Aja with excited eyes. “Really?”

“Of course, little brother. It will be fun. But if you would prefer, we can go hunting for parts again–”

With a good-natured groan, Krel shoved Aja off the bed. Despite his attempts to restrain himself, a grin stretched across his face.

  
  
  


Thirty minutes later, Aja knocked on the door of House Scott. She had only rapped against the heavy wood once before the door swung open, and suddenly, Aja was being hugged.

“You made it! Oh my God, we’re gonna have so much fun!”

Darci and Mary quickly pulled her inside and dragged her towards the stairs.

“We have a whole plan laid out for tonight. We’re gonna do all the classics, mani-pedis, face masks, and  _ God  _ do we have to talk about Steve and Toby!” Aja blinked, struggling to keep up with what Mary was saying. “Then the pizza guy should be here around 8 or so, and we’re gonna watch a rom-com, and then who knows what we’ll do the rest of the night?”

Darci laughed. “Easy, there, Mary. Don’t scare her.” The freckled girl gently grabbed Aja’s wrist and pulled her into what Aja assumed was her room.

“This is where the magic happens. You can set your things down wherever.” Aja lay her bag against the wall next to Darci’s bed and marveled at the room. Strings of white lights littered cream walls. Pillows were scattered across the bed’s fluffy, dark blue duvet. A wooden desk sat in the corner, textbooks and notebooks stacked so densely that Aja could not even find the top of the desk.

“Your room is very pretty,” Aja said faintly. “It feels like it’s yours.”

Darci glanced at Mary, and the other girl shrugged. “I guess that’s because it is mine. You guys wanna get started on the spa stuff?”

Aja furrowed her brows. “Yes, you said we are going to do the...man pedal? I am afraid I do not know what that is…”

Darci gave a good-natured laugh. “Mani-pedi. It stands for manicure-pedicure. It’s where you paint the nails on your hands and feet. They don’t have that in Cantaloupia?”

_ They do not even have fingernails in “Cantaloupia.”  _ “No, not really.”

“Wild,” Mary commented, speaking easily with the others even as she typed away at her phone. “With it being so close to France, I’d thought for  _ sure  _ they’d be more fashion-aware.”

“The fashion there is very different. It’s less about color and more about shapes.”

Darci waved to them to sit. Aja obliged, sinking to the floor and leaning back on her hands with her legs crossed in front of her. 

“Like, on clothing, there are lines that go with the shape of the wearer, and there are lots of circular patterns mixed it. And people wear make-up that makes their facial features look more angular. We–Um, well, the royals of Cantaloupia wear an arch over their foreheads. Like this.” Aja traced an arch between her brows.

Mary whistled. “Wow, that’s actually pretty cool! It’s classy, like medieval, except the clothes sound like…”

“Sci-fi,” Darci giggled, setting out the paints and products.

Aja felt inclined to laugh, albeit a little nervously. “I suppose that’s an apt description. Technology, Cantaloupia is very advanced, but there are aspects of it that are certainly...archaic.” Aja decided not to bring up the intricacies of the line of royalty and the caste system; even  _ she  _ wasn’t quite sure how that all worked, particularly since the system was in flux even before the coup.

“Here, give me your hand.” Darci reached for Aja’s wrist and brought it to rest on the dark wooden floor in front of her. “What color do you want?” Darci gestured to the basket of paints. Aja’s mouth formed an “o” and she sifted through the basket.

A pastel yellow, a deep orange, bright red, dark purple, sky blue. Oh, there! A sweet, light shade of pink. It was almost white, but it carried a soft blush. Aja plucked the glass bottle from the rest and held it between her index finger and thumb.

“How about this?”

Darci nodded emphatically. “That shade will look great on you! Mary, what do you think?”

Mary crawled to sit next to them so that the three girls formed the points of a triangle. “It’s gorgeous. What about for your toes?”

Aja rubbed her palm against her cheek. “I...do not know. Is there a specific...combination that I am supposed to pick?”

“It’s whatever you want, Aja.”

“I am not sure. What do you think?”

Mary grabbed the basket and hummed. “Let’s see, you have a shade of pink, so how about grey?” Mary wiggled the glass of light grey liquid between her fingers.

“I like it. Thanks, Mary.”

The two girls got to work with the paints.

“So, what language do they speak in Cantaloupia? French? Or Cantaloupian?” Darci asked, her brush moving deftly over Aja’s fingernails.

“Neither, actually. We speak…” Hm.  _ Seklos and Gaylen, Aja, why didn’t you just say Cantaloupian?  _ “We speak Akiridion. It’s...a Germanic language.”

“Oh, wow, that’s super cool!” Mary said. “I’ve never heard of it. How many people speak it?”

“Well, since a good amount of people in Cantaloupia actually do speak French, only about–” Okay, a small island country. If California had about 30 million inhabitants, then… “–500,000 speak Akiridion.”

“Can you say something in it?  _ Please _ ?”

Aja blushed. “Okay, um, I do not know what to say…”

“Just talk about Steve,” Darci advised.

“Okay…” Aja perked her lips.  _ “Steve is very sweet. I thought he was mean and an idiot at first, and I still think he is a little bit of an idiot, but he has been willing to change how he acts because he wants me to be proud to call him my boyfriend, and he seems to get along with Krel, which is a feat in itself.” _

A grin split Darci’s face, and Mary squealed. “Akiridion sounds  _ so cool _ !” Mary exclaimed. “It sounds all...oh, how do you describe it?”

Darci frowned, thinking hard even as she focused intently on the paints. “It’s like...I think it kinda sounds like Russian? Like, the way the vowels are, and how you do your r’s…”

“Hey, how come Krel has a different accent than you? And your grandad?”

Aja was a little taken back. “O-Oh, well, see, there’s a lot of mixture of culture in Ak-Cantaloupia, and my parents are from different countries. And a lot of the people we grew up with are from different countries, which includes my grandfather. So our accents developed a little differently. It’s odd, though. We’ve been living here so long, I think Krel is starting to lose his Cantaloupian accent a little bit! Sometimes he’ll say something, and it just sounds so  _ American _ !” Aja ended the word with a boisterous laugh.

Five hours, four paint colors, three mud masks, two pizzas, and one movie later, the girls were back upstairs, getting ready for bed. Aja wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. 

“So, tell us more about Cantaloupia,” Darci implored. She pulled a yellow top over her head. “It sounds so cool! 

“Yeah!” Mary agreed, moving her head to rest on her hands. She lay on her stomach on Darci’s bed, next to Aja. “We barely know anything about it! What’s it like there?”

“Well…” Aja started slowly. “Krel and I are from the city. The last time I was there, the buildings were tall, very much like your New York. There were lots of lights every, tons of colors...I am not so sure what it is like, now, though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Darci wore a confused frown on her face, and it didn’t suit her features. Aja liked it much better when she was smiling.

“I have never told you why my brother and I came to Arcadia-Oaks, have I.” Aja brought her legs to her chest. She wondered how this would go, but Aja felt like her friends should know. Like she could trust them with at least a little bit of the story.

“No, you haven’t.” Mary’s voice was quiet, and Aja smiled at it. For all of her noise and silliness, she was extremely perceptive.

“There was a coup.” Aja let those four words slip from her mouth, and waited. Neither of the other girls moved, so Aja continued. “The city was attacked and thrown into military conflict. Krel and I had to leave, for our safety, so our parents sent our grandfather with us to make sure that we made it somewhere safe.”

“And...your parents?” Darci’s eyes were wide and impossibly curious. Aja swallowed. She wasn’t sure how much she was ready for them to know yet.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell us everything,” Mary interrupted, sending Darci a furtive look. Very perceptive indeed. “We completely understand.”

A relieved––and somewhat tired––smile broke across Aja’s face. “Thanks, guys. It is...It is good to tell you what has happened.”

Darci nodded, her smile back in place. “Thank you for telling us. It’s really cool that you trust us like that. And don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Right, Mary?”

“Right. Lips sealed.”

“I cannot wait to see what Krel thinks of you knowing. When we first told Steve, Krel threatened to put hair dye in his shampoo if he told anyone. I wonder if he will do the same to you.”

Mary ran her fingers through her sleek hair. “Nah, our hair’s too dark. It probably wouldn’t show. Well, maybe in Darci’s, but not in mine.”

“It would  _ definitely  _ show in yours, though. Even more than in Steve’s.” Darci looked towards Aja expectantly, and Aja responded with intense eyes and an affronted expression.

“You would not  _ dare _ .”

“No, no, we would never put dye in your shampoo. Probably. Right, Mary?”

“Well…” Mary drew the syllable out comically, eyes drawing a line across the ceiling. Darci laughed and began to push her off the bed. Mary’s eyes went wide as she grappled for purchase, but the blanket on the bed was smooth. and pulled tight. “Wait, wait! How could you? My own girlfriend, my trusted ally. If you go through with this, there will be consequences!”

With a smirk at her lips and an evil glint in her eye, Darci gave her one last shove, and Mary tumbled to the floor. When she popped back up, her eyes shone with mirth. “I may have been kidding about Aja’s hair, but I never joke about revenge!” Mary latched onto Darci’s arm and pulled. Darci shrieked a high-pitched laugh and snagged Aja’s collar.

“If I’m going down, you are  _ so  _ coming with me!”

The girls slid off the bed and landed in a giggling pile on the wooden floors.

  
  
  


The rest of the night went just as Aja had planned. They watched another movie, threw popcorn at each other, and gossiped about Steve and Toby and Jim and Claire. They ran through a list of potential guys for Mary to get with, spending an hour narrowing down who was and wasn’t compatible. Around 2 in the morning, the girls began to nod off. Aja struggled to stay awake, and between the warm darkness of the room and the sheer amount of energy she had spent on social activity, she almost fell asleep with the others. But she was able to hold on long enough to recognize Mary’s soft snores and Darcy’s deep breathing. 

Carefully, Aja sat up and eased the blanket off, mindful of Mary, whose unconscious form was merely inches away. In one deft movement, Aja jumped to her feet. Now for the tricky part. Aja was inclined to leave through the window, since Detective Scott hadn’t yet come home, and that made the front door an insecure area; he could come home any minute, and Aja did  _ not  _ feel like making up an excuse to leave for home in the middle of the night and come back a few hours later. 

Aja crept to the window sill and glanced out. There was no screen––excellent, a roof just a human-foot or so below––also excellent, and what appeared to be some sort of wooden grid attached to the side of the house. It was covered in some sort of flora and was perhaps there for that exact purpose. But it would function just as well as a ladder––perfect.

Half an hour later, Aja walked through her front door. Krel was sitting at the counter, eating a bowl of cereal and reading a book.

“Krel! What are you doing awake? It is nearly three in the morning!” Aja glowed briefly and returned to her Akiridion form, but the interruption did nothing to impede her clear exasperation.

“Waiting for you to get back. How has it been so far?”

“I’ll tell you all about it in the morning  _ after  _ you’ve gotten a good night of rest. You’re lucky it isn’t a school night, or I wouldn’t let you off so easy.” Aja moved to grab Krel’s shoulders, moving him from the kitchen to the hall. Krel hastily swallowed his bite and tried to turn back.

“Wait, Aja, my cereal!” Aja almost frowned; Krel was barely even able to put up a fight with her. Not that it was necessarily abnormal, but he seemed a little weaker than usual.

“It’s definitely time for bed. Come on, little brother.” Aja wrapped her arm around Krel’s shoulders a little tighter, guiding him towards his room. She nudged his door open, pushed him inside, and watched him walk (stumble?) to his bed. Fortunately, Krel was dressed in his sleepwear, so all she had to do was get the blankets over him.

“Do you have to go back to Darci’s?” Krel murmured, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. 

“It depends. Why do you ask?”

“It feels weird when you are not in the house. Logically, I know that you are only out, but it feels like you are  _ gone _ . Or I get scared that you are gone.”

Aja inhaled deeply. She had not realized that Krel had actually been worried for her. 

“Krel, I am sorry that it worries you when I leave, but that is something that we have to be able to be okay with. If we never let each other out of our sights, then we wouldn’t be able to function how we need to. You can trust me to look after myself, brother, just as I trust you to look after yourself.”

Krel pouted. “You  _ don’t  _ trust me to look after myself.”

Aja laughed softly, and it registered somewhere in the back of her mind that she sounded like her mother when she laughed. “Perhaps not, but I never leave you alone without Vex or Zadra, do I?”

Krel snuggled deeper into his bed. “I suppose not.”

A beat.

“Would you stay if I told you that I was sick?”

Aja rolled her eyes. “Ay, Krel!”

“No, seriously! I may have contracted a human illness.”

Aja looked more closely at Krel, and realized that something was decidedly wrong. His skin was a paler shade of blue, and yet his cheeks were flushed a light purple. His eyes were...almost brighter. Aja frowned and pressed her hand into Krel’s cheek, then his forehead.

“You are warm. Anything else?”

Krel chuckled a little nervously. “I may have, as Steve says, ‘hurled.’ ”

“Oh, Krel.” Aja pulled the blankets up to Krel’s chin. “I will be back. Don’t fall asleep if you can help it.”

Aja left the room, pulling the door shut behind her, and produced her phone.

_ Sorry, guys, Krel is sick. I had to leave. I will come by Darci’s tomorrow to get my things. I had lots of fun! _

Aja shot the message off and pocketed her phone. Darci and Mary would not be upset, she was sure of it. They were good friends to her.

_ “We completely understand.” _

Yes, they were very good to her. A soft puff of laughter escaped her lips. The first real friends she had ever had, and they were humans from the mud-ball planet of Earth. And they were wonderful. 

They were really, really wonderful.   
  



	2. In Which Steve Is a Considerate Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I lost the original prompt (provided by Anon), but it went along the lines of Aja and Steve going on a date and Krel not liking the idea of it, so he and Eli spy on them on a Not-Date.
> 
> Title: In Which Steve Is a Considerate Idiot
> 
> Summary: Aja is meant to go on a date to Steve’s house. Krel does not approve.
> 
> Characters: Krel Tarron, Eli Pepperjack, Aja Tarron, Steve Palchuk, Jim Lake Jr., Seamus Johnson
> 
> Relationships: Krel Tarron & Steve Palchuk, Krel Tarron & Eli Pepperjack, Krel Tarron & Aja Tarron, Aja Tarron/Steve Palchuk, Krel Tarron & Jim Lake Jr., Krel Tarron & Seamus Johnson, Aja Tarron & Jim Lake Jr., Optional Krel Tarron/Eli Pepperjack, or perhaps one sided Krel Tarron/Eli Pepperjack – Open to interpretation
> 
> Warnings: Discussion of sex, mentions of violence and PTSD
> 
> Word count: 4919
> 
> Notes: Didn’t focus on Krel and Eli as much as I had wanted, but this was still so fun to write! Yeah, basically everything I had actually planned for this fic didn’t happen and it’s completely unedited, but I think I actually like the turn-out okay! This ended up being super super fun!!

“I don’t like this, Aja. Not even a little.”

Aja rolled her eyes. She was stretched out on her bed, throwing her serrator up in the air and catching it. “It’s just Steve, little brother. What about him has you so worried?”

“ _ Steve  _ is an  _ idiot.  _ And he is a  _ human,  _ Aja,” Krel hissed. “I spoke with Eli, Seamus,  _ and  _ Jim on the matter.”

Aja winced. “Oh, Krel, you didn’t!”

“I did! I did, and they all agree: it is fairly common in human social customs for humans to fornicate for non-procreational purposes!  _ Particularly  _ in their adolescent years!”

“ _ Krel _ !” Aja chucked a pillow at Krel’s head, smacking him right in his face. “I cannot believe you!”

“I admit I have grown slightly–– _ slightly _ , Aja––more comfortable with the idea of a “date,” but you–you are going to his house! Even aside from fornication, the fact that it is a private area makes you more vulnerable to terrestrial and non-terrestrial attacks alike, not to mention the  _ numerous  _ threats that lay in–”

Aja stood and grabbed Krel by the shoulders. “ _ Krel _ . Look at me.” Krel did so. “I will be fine. You know that I can take care of myself and that I will contact you if something goes wrong.”

Aja dropped her hands to her sides and headed for the door. “And you can put the idea of Steve and I doing...doing  _ that  _ out of your head. I think the both of us recognize that that is  _ not  _ something that either of us even want to do.”

“But Aja!”

“Quit it, Krel. Our date is in three days. You have that long to get comfortable with the idea.”

And then she was gone. 

Krel flopped his hands at his sides. “Unbelievable.”

  
  
  


“And  _ then  _ she told me that I have to get comfortable with it! Can you believe her?”

The four boys sat at the cafeteria table, Krel and Eli on one side and Jim and Seamus on the other. 

“I–” Jim winced as Krel’s withering glare turned on him. “Krel, I get that you’re her brother and the idea of it bothers you, but Aja’s sex life is her business. You gotta respect that. And besides, if she says she’s not planning to sleep with him, then you should trust that she’s telling you the truth. And you can trust Steve to respect her boundaries, too.”

Something odd flashed in Krel’s eyes. The look lingered, but Jim couldn’t determine what that expression was. It was familiar, certainly, but what exactly...Weariness, perhaps?

Krel exhaled through his nose. “You do not understand. She is my  _ sister _ . I cannot just allow the Idiot to–Gah!” Krel pulled at his hair in frustration. “Okay,  _ no _ . Aja  _ will  _ go on that date, but I will supervise.”

Seamus raised a dubious brow. “I’m not so sure Aja will be all too happy about that.”

“She would not be if she knew about it.”

“You mean…” Eli started meekly, “spying on them?”

Seamus huffed a laugh. “Oh! Okay, so we’re spying on your sister now. Yeah, that’s a really great idea. One of your finest, Krel.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“ _ No _ , not ‘thank you,’ Krel. It was sarcasm.”

“Sar-caz-em…” Krel frowned as he tried to word out. Strange. “Sarcasm? I do not believe I have heard that word yet. What is it?”

Seamus stared. “Krel, you use sarcasm  _ all the time _ . It’s when you say the opposite of what you mean.”

Krel’s mouth formed an “o.” “You mean the kind used for comedic effect.”

“ _ Yes _ ! For the love of–And to think we call you a genius…”

Eli rapped his fingers against the linoleum table. “Krel, are you  _ sure  _ we should spy on Aja? Seamus is right; I don’t think she’d like that very much.”

Krel threw an arm around Eli’s shoulders and jabbed a finger into his chest. “And  _ that  _ is why she is not going to find out. Not unless we realize during the course of our spying that Steve and Aja do in fact plan to do something, in which case we will intervene and–” 

“Okay! I’m out.” Seamus stood and dumped his half-finished lunch tray into the garbage before walking off with dead eyes.

“Jim?” Eli asked. His voice was high and nervous.

“Um, well, I  _ would  _ help, or probably wouldn’t, but either way, I’m booked for the next few days.”

“What!” Krel exclaimed. “This cannot be true. You cannot leave me with Eli as my only accomplice!”

“Mm, yeah, I can. Sorry, Krel. You’ll have to make do. Good luck, I guess?” Jim gave a slightly confused smile and a wave and left. He caught the words  _ “please don’t probe my brains”  _ coming from Eli, and Jim walked a little faster. What a weird kid. God! He wasn’t even sure which kid he was thinking of now.

  
  
  


“Alright, Aja. Run me through the details of your date.”

“Run you–What? I cannot use you to stab the details, unless it is metaphorical? In which case, no.”

“No, Aja, it is a human figure of speech. I want you to tell me about the details.”

Aja snorted, distractedly spreading butter over a piece of toast. “Why do you care?”

“ _ Maybe _ I am asking in order to feel more comfortable with it.” Krel crossed his arms and pouted. Maybe he felt a little remorseful for lying to his sister, but she would probably do the exact same thing in his position.

Aja gave him a curious look before taking a bite out of her toast. “Alright, if you think it will help. First, we are going to walk around town. Go to shops and the park and things. Then we are going to get something to eat, and then go to Steve’s place to watch a movie. Not very complicated, little brother.”

“Perhaps not.”

  
  
  


“If I am being honest, Aja was always very good at programming, but this technology is primitive. No wonder she was able to hack Arcadia’s power grid so quickly. Its security is laughable. I should hold access their cameras of security in minutes, and then it is just a matter of surveilling the Palchuk’s house!”

Eli chuckled, forcing a smile to his lips. “Alright, Krel, I’m gonna be honest. You’re kinda freakin’ me out here. Let’s take it down a notch from hacking the city, maybe?”

Krel spun around and growled at Eli. “I will  _ not  _ take it down a notch. You do not understand. Idiot Palchuck is not the only conceivable threat here. Assassins, government agents, bounty hunters, Morando himself...There are many people that want Aja dead, and relaxing in some basement somewhere where I cannot see her is a terrible way of keeping herself safe! I do not care how well she can defend herself or how quickly she can contact me. It is not safe. And Zadra is allowing this! It is like everybody but me has gone completely crazy! And, honestly, do not get me  _ started  _ on the dangers of unplanned inter-special intercourse! The genetic dangers and potential immune reactions alone should be enough to deter them from fornicating, but the fact that it makes anatomical sense might cause them to make some very stupid decisions–”

“ _ Krel _ ! Krel, buddy, calm down. You’re about to crush the computer.” 

Krel blinked. Eli was to his right, staring up at him with wide (fearful–Seklos and Gaylen, was he still not over the whole non-terrestrial life thing?) eyes. And he himself had his arms braced against the computer. Sure enough, a hairline fracture ran through the plastic hardware. Krel immediately released and backed away from the computer. If he broke it, then he’d have to steal another one, which would delay his spying on Staja.

“Right. Sorry. Anyways, I should probably be focusing on making progress instead of lamenting.”

Eli gave a tentative smile. “R-Right. Progress. Let’s focus on progress.”

Five minutes later, Krel exhaled. Step one complete. “Alright, Eli, you have the supplies?”

Eli nodded emphatically. “Here, lemme…” He dove behind his bed and pulled up a plastic tub full of metal scrap. “I could find everything on your list except for the soldering iron–”

Eli froze at the look on Krel’s face and continued quickly, “–but I can keep looking! I’m sure they have them somewhere–”

“ _ Ay _ , no!” Krel grumbled. “It is of no matter, Eli. I am sure that I have something we can use.” Krel’s eyes darted to his shoes for a moment before going back up to Eli’s. “Thank you. For finding the parts, I mean.”

“O-Oh. You’re welcome.” Eli seemed taken back at the expression of gratitude, and Krel’s heart sank. He did not realize that he had been so...so  _ unfriendly  _ that expressing gratitude would be  _ surprising  _ to others. He certainly had a lot of damage to repair. 

_ You are thinking too much, Krel. You have business to complete. _

“Right.” Krel murmured.

“What?”

“Come here, Eli.” Krel waved him over. “We are building bugs.”

Eli frowned. “Why? Are they gonna be poisonous? Or–”

Another groan scraped from Krel’s throat. “ _ No _ ! Bugs! I  _ know  _ that this is the correct human term! Listening devices?”

The clarification elicited a soft gasp from Eli. “Oh...Bugs. Uh-huh, I know what you’re talking about.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “ _ Wait _ . We’re building bugs! Like spies! This is so  _ cool _ !”

Krel restrained a smile. As irritating as it could be sometimes, something about Eli’s enthusiasm was quite endearing. What could he say? Krel had always held a certain respect towards those who appreciated the art of invention. “Yes, bugs. Now, can I trust you to construct the hardware while I develop the software?”

Eli wrung his hands. Stars above, why was Eli still so nervous around him? “Uh, aren’t you gonna show me how to do it?”

“Oh. Of course. Here.”

Krel grabbed Eli by the arm and brought him to his side. “You’ll need these.” Krel pushed a set of lenses over Eli’s glasses and over his own eyes. “This is precision work. We are building microchips small enough that our paranoid comrades will not notice it. We must be careful and delicate and accurate if they are to function properly. Observe.”

The next half of a horvath was spent meticulously walking Eli through the intricacies of putting together a microchip. Then they each built a microchip simultaneously, Eli carefully following Krel’s example. This was repeated only twice more; not so surprisingly, the Eli was a quick study. So quick that Krel was nearly impressed. 

The last time that Krel was present for the hardware construction, he oversaw Eli perform the process completely independently. Once Eli had seared the cover over the hardware and allowed it to cool, Krel plucked the small device from the top of Eli’s desk. He tossed the incredibly small weight in his hand. It felt solid, nothing rattling, but flexible enough that it would not be smashed if real force were applied to it. An asset, considering that its size rendered that a real possibility. And from watching Eli, Krel knew that it had been assembled correctly.

“A success, Eli. You do well for a human.”

“ _ Really _ ?” asked Eli excitedly. “I did it all right?”

“Down to the nanometer,” Krel reassured, a relaxed smile at his lips. “We need three more of these. I will be creating the software while you do that. Notify me if you need anything.”

Krel turned away and powered on his speakers. This Earth’s invention of music would never amaze him any less than it did now. The beat shook the air. Frequencies vibrated through the floor, chord progressions humming right through his core. How had Krel been able to work productively before this discovery? How had he been able to stand science without the complement of music? It was beyond him, now.

  
  
  


“Well done, Eli. Eight bugs in five hours. We make–”

“A good team?”

“I was going to say “good time,” but sure, that too.”

“Awesome!”

Krel glanced out the window. The sky was turning a deep azure, and Krel knew that the sky 162 degrees to the left was stained deep shades of purple and red as the sun set. It would be dark soon, and if he wasn’t home before dark, Aja would get worried and start asking questions, and Krel would have to lie to her and that was something he strongly preferred to avoid. 

“I need to head home. I will get more details on Aja’s and Steve’s plans for tomorrow during the day. If all goes well, we will be able to plant the bugs before the date.”

Eli raised his hand. “Actually, I’m going to Steve’s tonight for a movie marathon.”

The corner of Krel’s mouth curved into a smile. “You know where to put the bugs?”

“We’ll want one in the basement, ‘cause that’s where we watch movies, then one in the kitchen and one in Steve’s room. And maybe one in the living room.”

“Excellent. I can plant the other bugs at the café tomorrow morning. You remember what to do with them?” 

“Throw them close to the upper corner of the room for the best vantage point. They’ll stick where they land and orient themselves.”

Krel hummed. “So you were paying attention. Alright, I will entrust you with this. Just remember to be discreet! We cannot have Steve catching on.”

Eli nodded quickly. “R-Right. I’ll text you when it’s finished.”

  
  
  


Something was up with Pepperjack. Okay, something was  _ always  _ up with Pepperjack, but Steve knew his best friend. He was acting...weird. Again, not totally unusual, but like, especially. Steve couldn’t put his finger on it. Something was just off.

Eli sat up from where he had been slumped over on the couch and rose slowly to his feet. “I’ll be right back,” he commented as he started towards the stairs. 

Steve frowned. This was Eli’s favorite scene from  _ Space Invaded _ , where the hero, Jack Kitchen, realizes that the alien Buggers have invaded his home and sneaks around his house before slaughtering them all. He wouldn’t leave during this scene if he had a choice.

“Where you going?” Steve exclaimed. “It’s your favorite part!”

“Bathroom,” Eli said shortly. Steve’s frown deepened. He had known Eli to hold his bladder for  _ hours  _ when a movie was involved. Was he feeling sick? 

Steve decided to let him go. If Eli wasn’t back in five minutes, he would go check on him to make sure he wasn’t keeled over and dying somewhere. 

Two minutes later, Jack Kitchen thrust his holographic sword into the engine of the car. The resulting explosion killed two Buggers, sending green goop everywhere. Steve couldn’t help but think that it looked similar to some of the battles they themselves had fought. Really similar, actually.

_ Crap. _

Steve was on his feet, moving up the stairs three steps at a time. If Eli had reacted to something in the movie and gotten scared or something...Well, Steve knew that PTSD was a thing. Most of their little circle had it in some form. It was unlikely that Eli was any different. 

“Eli? Eli, where are y–Eli?”

Steve slowed to a stop in his living room, just in time to watch Eli throw something small at the ceiling. Steve could barely make it out where it stuck at the junction of the ceiling and the wall. Eli spun around.

“Uh, hi, Steve!”

“Pepperjack? What is that?” Steve pointed vaguely at the thing.

Eli’s face turned pink, his freckles becoming nearly invisible amongst it. “N-Nothing! A fly! A fly. It’s a fly. I caught it and threw it at the wall.”

Steve crossed his arms and stared. “Dude.”

“What?”

Steve rolled his eyes and hopped onto his sofa. He steadied himself against the wall as he stepped up to balance on the back of the sofa. He stretched up and plucked the “fly” from the wall. Hm. No wings on this thing. No legs or eyes, either. And it was too small. Steve rolled it between his thumb and forefinger and took a closer look. If anything, it looked like the camera piece on his phone. Weird.

Hold up.

Steve jumped off the couch in front of Eli and held the thing up. “Is this a  _ camera _ , Pepperjack?”

“N-No?”

“It is!”

“No! It’s not!”

“Is too.”

“You have no proof.”

“My proof is that you’re a terrible liar. Why did you try to put a camera in my house? Are there more?”

Eli lowered his head, his chin nearly touching his chest. “Yes…”

“Where?”

“I put one in the basement while you were making popcorn, and there’s one in the kitchen.”

Unbelievable. 

“You wanna tell me why, Pepperjack?”

Eli bit his lip and wrung his hands. He was nervous. Guilt for the nature of their past relationship rolled in his stomach. Maybe he needed a different approach.

“Look, Eli, I’m not necessarily mad about this. More bewildered, actually. I just want to know what’s going on.”

Eli sighed, taking off his glasses and shining them with the hem of his shirt. “It’s Krel.” 

Steve narrowed his eyes. He knew that Eli cared a lot about Krel. Either the other boy was in trouble, or he was taking advantage of Eli’s affections for his own purposes. Steve didn’t like the sound of either, but at the prospect of the latter, he was ready to find Krel and sock him. Even if he was Aja’s brother.

“What about Krel?” Steve pressed. He had to get this figured out.

“He wanted me to bug your place. He...He wanted to be able to see everything just in case something happened.” Eli admitted, and Steve was automatically on guard. His eyes darted around as he looked around the room and outside the windows. There was a vase and a waterbottle on the table that he could throw, and plenty of knives in the kitchen. If something came through the front door, he could grab Eli and they could get out the back with good cover. But if something came from anywhere else? Gah! There were too many variables to put together a plan!  _ Stop thinking and gather information. _

“Why is he worried about that? Is something coming? Do we need to get out of here? Why didn’t you guys just  _ tell _ me about this?” 

“ _ No _ ! Nothing’s coming. Steve, take it easy. Deep breaths. We’re completely safe right now.” Steve nodded jerkily, closing his eyes and trying to inhale deeply. He slowly felt his muscles relax and his breathing steady out as his brain left attack mode. Nothing was coming. 

Steve opened his eyes and found Eli’s. “Okay. Okay, I’m good. So if there’s nothing dangerous happening, then why the heck did he ask you to do that?”

“Um, personal reasons?”

A short huff of breath escaped Steve, blood rushing behind his eyes. So Krel  _ was  _ using Eli. Just like that, Steve was back in attack mode, but now, it was out of anger instead of fear. The kid was  _ dead _ .

Steve pushed Eli onto the couch and started for the garage door. “Stay here. I need to have a chat with Tarron.” 

“No, no no no no!” Eli shot up and grabbed Steve’s arm. “Steve,  _ please  _ don’t kill him!”

Steve gently but firmly pried Eli’s fingers off of him and pushed the smaller boy back onto the couch. “Don’t be dramatic. I’m not gonna kill him. Maybe some light maiming, but no killing.”

“But Steve–”

“Shut it, Pepperjack. I’m handling this one.”

  
  
  


“You know what, Aja?”

“What?”

“I want a cat.”

“Cats are stupid.”

“You’re stupid.”

Krel ducked as a book flew through the space where his head was and slammed into the wall behind him.

“Who needs cats when we have Luug?”

Krel laughed. “Luug will always be ours, but I want something cute.”

“Luug  _ is  _ cute,” Aja insisted. “You just have terrible taste.”

“Aja, have you  _ seen  _ an earthly cat?”

Aja smiled at the mirror as she carefully applied the black liquid to her human eyelashes. “I do not believe that I need to.”

“Now  _ that  _ is where you are wrong.” Krel moved from the bed to bring his cellular device to Aja. “Just look at them!”

Aja paused to look at the screen and shrugged. “They are alright.”

Krel spluttered. “ _ Alright _ ? They are the pinnacle of evolution! They have literally evolved for maximum cuteness because the care that it elicits from stronger and more intelligent life forms keeps them alive!”

“Really? Humans must have low standards.”

Krel growled. “You did not even look properly! You are too busy with...What, exactly, is it that you are doing?”

Aja glanced at Krel through the mirror. “It is Make Up. Mary said that I should try it out to see if I like it. Apparently, many people like to wear it on dates or special occasions in order that they look fancier.”

Krel rolled his eyes. “It sounds stupid to me. Your human form looks perfectly fine without external enhancement. And besides, I have seen on the Internet what Make Up can make people appear as. If applied incorrectly, the wearer is unrecognizable, and if applied correctly, they look like an entirely different person! Steve will not even know who you are if you wear it tomorrow.”

“Perhaps you are right. I do not think that I know what I am doing, either. Human fashions are so bizarre.” With a sigh, Aja put down the vessel of black applicant and sat next to Krel on her bed. “Show me the cats again. I will look this time.”

Krel pulled his cellular device to his chest and gave her a playful grin. “Do you deserve a second chance?”

Aja sprang forwards to snatch the device from Krel’s grip, but Krel threw himself backwards. “ _ Hey _ ! No thieving!”

The doorbell chimed through the house, and both siblings froze amidst their play-battle.

“It is late. Are you expecting anyone?” Krel asked softly.

“No. You?” Aja responded. Krel shook his head, and she frowned. “Okay. Stay behind me.” Krel quietly instructed Mother to activate his transduction. 

“Where is Zadra?” Krel whispered. 

“Out looking for parts. Do not worry. She should still be far enough away that she will be safe.” Krel nodded once, satisfied with the response, as his mouth set in a straight line. He watched warily as Aja approached the door, her serrator in her left hand and her right arm sticking out in front of Krel. She reached towards the handle and Krel bent his knees, ready to move in an instant. And in one swift movement, Aja pulled the door open.

“...Steve?”

“Uh, hi, Aja.”

“Why–What are you  _ doing  _ here? It is past midnight! ...Oh, Gaylen, is something wrong?”

“No! Nothing’s wrong. Everyone is good, there’s nothing happening. But, well, I was hoping to talk to Krel for a minute? In private?” Steve’s eyes narrowed at Krel, a grimace at his lips. Krel swallowed. It had been months since Steve had looked at him like that.  _ Flishaag.  _ Maybe he could play dumb?

Aja crossed her arms and groaned. She glanced at at the ceiling as if praying for support. “Do I want to know?”

“Probably not.” Steve answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Ha. He was probably trying to weigh how Aja would handle it if Steve punched him.

“Fine. Whatever. Have your guy talk, but keep it outside. I like my nights peaceful.”

Krel snorted. “Says the one who put popping rocks underneath the toilet seats.”

“Your screams were worth the interruption.”

“Why,  _ you _ –”

“Okay!” Steve grabbed Krel by the arm. “I’m taking him now. Be right back.” He pulled the smaller boy out the front door and slammed it. Suddenly, Krel slammed against the brick wall of their house, Steve’s hand pushed firmly against his chest. Krel grunted as his feet rose a few inches from the pavement.

“Steve! Release me before I turn you into flexel!”

“I’d like to see you try.” Steve got in Krel’s face, and Krel realized that this was no laughing matter. Something...Something had made Steve very angry.

“What is the matter, Steve?”

“The cameras, buttsnack. Why did you do it?”

Krel frowned. “I needed to see inside your house. Why else?”

“No! Why did you have Eli do it for you?”

“I–What? He was convenient.”

Steve growled and Krel recoiled. Wrong answer.

“I didn’t think you were this stupid, Tarron. You really think that Eli helped you because he was interested in the mission? Haven’t you even noticed how he acts around you?”

Krel faltered for a minute. Now he could understand why Steve was angry. It certainly did appear that way.

Maybe it was that way. Had Krel been using Eli? He knew that the human was frightened of him. It was noticeable in his behaviors. And unreasonable as that fear may be, it was a remaining fact. Krel had just assumed that Eli had been willing to help as his friend, but had he unconsciously threatened him into helping?

“I...did not realize that Eli was only helping because he was scared of me. I had thought that we had mostly gotten past the entire extra-terrestrial thing. I thought...I thought he was just helping me.”

“Wait.” Steve frowned, unrest swirling in his eyes as he gazed steadily at Krel. “I’m confused, now, too. You weren’t trying to use the fact that he likes you?”

“I thought you just said that he does not like me. In hindsight, it is quite clear that he is afraid of me.”

Steve grimaced. “Okay, maybe that’s a little true, but I just thought…”

The pieces clicked for Krel. Seklos and Gaylen, he must have been tired. It took him too long to put together the pieces, but now it was clear as day, the unspoken concern that had made Steve so angry.  _ Your first real friend on Earth, and you are taking advantage of the fact that he cares about you to get your dirty work done. _

“Oh.  _ Oh _ . Steve, no. I would never take advantage of Eli’s friendship like that. That would be cruel. Even by Earth standards.”  _ I am sorry that I act terribly enough to make that seem like something I would do. _

Steve held Krel’s gaze, and Krel knew that he was weighing the sincerity of the statement. And then, slowly, Steve’s fingers stiffly peeled away from Krel’s shirt, and Krel’s feet dropped back to the ground.

“I believe you. Now, you wanna tell me why you wanted those cameras in my house?”

Krel’s throat tightened. This was  _ not  _ something that he wanted to discuss with Steve. But...perhaps it would be productive to do so. Mama and Papa said that communication was most important when relations were tense or uncertain, and Coach had said the same thing in Health Class. 

“It is about you and Aja. You are aware that I was never comfortable with the concept of her dating...I spoke to some people at the school, and they mentioned that it was possible that you and she...you know.”

Steve stared at Krel. “Know what?”

“Ah, intercourse?”

Steve blinked, and his face turned bright red. “ _ Seriously _ ?  _ That’s  _ what you’re worried about?”

Krel stared hard at the ground. Gaylen, this was embarrassing. Save it.

“There were already all of the factors regarding her safety, and everything with Morando and the assassins, and then they said  _ that  _ and I just–I could not handle it.” To Krel’s horror, tears began to blur his vision. He hastily pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes. He couldn’t let Steve see this. But instead of smearing into his skin, as Krel would have liked, the tears simply trickled down from underneath his hands. He vaguely registered Steve cursing.

“Oh no. No, no no no. Don’t cry, Krel. It’s...It’s totally okay.” Steve grabbed Krel’s upper arms in what was probably meant to be a comforting gesture. Krel could practically sense him weighing whether or not to get Aja. At the prospect of his sister seeing him like this, Krel struggled even harder to pull himself together. He furiously wiped at his eyes with his hands and wrists and willed himself to stop producing tears. This was  _ not  _ the time.

“I apologize. I realize that it is really none of my business, and I know that you care for Aja. It is immature of me to react like this, and it was indecent to enlist Eli in helping me to spy on you guys. But it is very unsafe, you  _ must  _ know, Steve. You two are not the same species. It...It could really hurt the both of you if you did that without consulting a geneticist and immunologist.”

“Okay, Krel? Krel, listen to me. I give you my word that I will not do that with Aja for...for a long time. Neither of us are ready for that, and now I know that it’s dangerous, so I wouldn’t let that happen without us doing our homework, first. And I give you my word that if anything dangerous happens, I  _ will _ protect her with my life, even though she’s way more capable of protecting me than I am of her. But I’ll still try. And anyways, your concerns would still be totally justified, even if there were no assassins involved, or genetic risks, or whatever. You’re her brother. You’re being protective. You just want her to be okay. I can respect that. It’s what I want, too.”

Krel swallowed and inclined his head in agreement. “I recognize that, now. We share this goal.” He held up his pinky. “Let us Pinky-Swear. We work together from this point forwards to ensure Aja’s wellbeing.” Steve nodded firmly and hooked his pinky around Krel’s. 

“For Aja.”


End file.
